


Nimueh's Forgiveness

by Zuerst



Series: Be Gay, Do Crime [3]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Episode: s01e04 The Poisoned Chalice, F/F, Female Merlin (Merlin), Gay Merlin (Merlin), Gen, Gwen and Merlin Kiss, Nimueh's Nice
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-11
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-03-18 08:07:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,094
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29365245
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zuerst/pseuds/Zuerst
Summary: Merlin is poisoned, kisses Gwen, takes a bath, and meets a High Priestess on the Isle of the Blessed.
Relationships: Merlin & Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Series: Be Gay, Do Crime [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2156001
Comments: 1
Kudos: 27





	Nimueh's Forgiveness

Merlin saw a beautiful lady, felt a need to seem confident and worthy to her, and promptly took all of the words the servant said to heart. She needed to save Arthur. It was moments later that Uther was staring at her in surprise, as if the woman Arthur was courting couldn’t try to protect him.

“Let’s see it,” said the King. “If it poisons you, I vow that Arthur will grant you revenge. If it does not, know that I will hand you over to King Bayard.”

Merlin gulped, but went with it. She held the chalice to her lips, the blond prince approaching her with a look of horror. It stopped when she announced after her sip, “It’s fine.” She felt her body go towards Bayard, only to feel her throat collapse on her. She was choking, but not only that, she was falling also.

She blacked out as the clang of swords flooded her ears. 

She awoke to a kiss. It was Gwen, much to her surprise. When Gwen’s eyes widened with panic, Merlin realized even in her dazed state that the maid was also shocked. Gaius stood a few feet away before awkwardly sitting down and watching as exhaustion due to the day's events caught up on him.

“I’m sorry,” said Gwen.

Merlin replied, “It’s all good. Just a kiss between gals. Kiss between pals.”

“Gals don’t kiss on the lips.”

“Some gals do.”

Gwen flushed as Merlin kept saying things about normal kisses shared between girls. She eventually said, “What about more than just, uh, gal feelings?”

Merlin shrugged, groaning from her sweaty shirt and the want of a warm bath. She said, “That’s okay too.” 

Gwen left in embarrassment. Merlin turned to Gaius for answers. He threw up his hands, clearly not knowing what to say. Merlin sighed and said, “Do you think I could bathe in Arthur’s and no one would think we had sex?”

Gaius raised his brows. “Uther would hear it and assume you two are set to wed.”

“So if I cheat on Arthur, how would that turn out?”

“Disastrous.”

Merlin shrugged, picking out a space set of clothes from her room before leaving to the prince’s chambers. She walked in to find Arthur bathing alone. He let out a scream that made the guards look her way. Merlin said, “He’s all good.” The guards returned to their spots.

Merlin walked in as Arthur searched for a towel. He quickly covered himself. Merlin didn’t bat an eye as she began undressing. Arthur screeched, “Put that shirt back on right this instant!”

“I would, sire, but I need to bathe and clearly you do too since you came from the dungeons. Thank you for saving my life. I quite like breathing.”

Arthur continued to back away as Merlin finished undressing. “This is improper,” he said in a hiss.

Merlin sunk into the warm water. She closed her eyes and heated it up to be warmer as she soaked. She lankily looked over to see Arthur gathering his clothes together behind the screen. She drawled out, “Sorry I’m not a princess.”

Arthur sighed vehemently as he attempted to put on a shirt. “You may be a clotpole-”

“That’s my word.”

“But I still like that you’re not a pushover. Sir Boris is a pushover like you wouldn't believe. He's lucky I haven’t sent him out on a patrol without Sir Leon yet.”

Merlin started to clean her hair when she said, “Sir Leon’s the curly-haired ginger, yeah?”

Arthur stood behind the screen patiently. “Yes. He is my most trusted and well-respected knight. Well, for me he is. My father has some older knights that still stand-in meetings, but Sir Leon is someone I trust with my life.”

Merlin washed out her hair. “And the other knights aren’t?”

“The other knights would lay down their lives for me,” he spoke, oddly serious for once, “but Leon would find a way to save all of those he could first.”

“Is he your friend?”

“If I had friends, then he would be one, yes.”

Merlin laughed as she took a fresh towel and dried herself off. “I’m going to get dressed, but I can help you with your speeches if you like.” She dressed herself quickly, seeing that the blond asshole was, for once, waiting on her for moral reasons and not the other way around.

She popped up behind the screen fully dressed and in one of the neckerchiefs that Arthur gave her last week. It was a bright red color that she didn’t know existed. The prince had his eyes covered, peeked between them, and let out a breath of relief.

“Never undress in front of me again,” he ordered, though it sounded like a plea.

“I promise, unless we’re in the woods or I’m injured.”

Arthur took that as a sign he would never have to see her again. “Great. Next thing up, how did you recover so fast?”

“Gaius is good at his job,” said Merlin.

They sat down at his table. It was covered in assorted fruits and meat jerky. Merlin gnawed on some, not giving an explanation as to why. Arthur just stared until he deemed it unimportant. The prince moved on, willed his brain would too, and bit into a fresh apple.

Merlin commented, “I’ve been told the King will assume we have bed tonight. As long as you become incoherent, I’m sure he’ll believe it fully if he asks you.”

“Why do you want my father to believe we’re together?” asked the heir.

Merlin gazed to him. “Morgana has it set in her mind that we can call this off once the next princess visits. Uther’s still scoping out for a treaty, you see. I’m just here to make you get better at wooing. To be honest, though, I would appreciate more flowers. Gaius can use them for work.”

“So you and Gaius are close,” said Arthur. He got up to sort through his desk. He took out long pieces of parchment, inkwells, and quills. The prince set them down. Merlin left the food behind as she started to mark the papers. “Did you grow up here?”

“No. I was in Cendred’s Kingdom as a child. I have since moved. And, on the Gaius thing, I live with him as his assistant. He has gotten old, and decided to pass his wisdom onto me.”

“Where do your dresses get stored?” he asked, voice confused.

“Morgana is very kind.”

“Ah. Okay. Keep those womanly secrets.” He looked down to see the speech he had worked on the past two nights covered in error marks. “It’s that bad?”

“Common mistakes and run-on sentences. It’s okay. You’ll learn under Uther. You’re not set to take the throne for some time.”

Arthur groaned into his hands. “Why are you even going along with this courtship?”

“The gifts,” she answered. Arthur rolled his eyes. “It’s true, though. I haven’t a need for your romantics. I will say that the picnic last weekend was lovely. The view, that is. The company, well, it needed some work.”

“Oh, come now, we all know it’s your facade that makes all of the animals hither away.”

“No, I believe that is your stink.”

“You’re the one who can’t walk without making a noise.”

“You know I do that on purpose.”

“Which makes it all that much more infuriating.”

Merlin grinned as she passed the speech over to him. “Everyone already understands that you’re young. They expect you to mess up and fumble over things until you’re older. But, if you start being super cool right now, that loyalty you seek will have already grown by the time you’re king.”

“For someone who dresses like a peasant, you’re not so bad,” said Arthur.

Merlin stood up, stealing a share of the jerky while she was at it. “I’ll talk to you later. I gotta go. Stay safe, and, truly, thank you.”

Arthur watched as she went towards his window. It reminded him of how she was very good with heights the very first time he ran into her. She opened the window and soared out. He ran towards it, only to see her hanging from a rope he had never seen before. She walked across the stone wall as a few knights stopped their training to watch her open a window on one of the lower floors and slide in. The rope swung slowly where she had left it.

Merlin ran in the halls until she was in her room. From there she opened her spell book. Inside it, she found a name. The Isle of the Blessed. A place of magic. The perfect spot for a powerful High Priestess to be. She packed up the food she stole from Arthur’s table and snuck out the window.

She landed with a thump, which she eased with magic. The guards still noticed her, though, so she assumed she needed to find a new way to sneak out if she was going to be doing it often. She waved at them innocently and stalked through Camelot with a plan.

She was thankful that night was almost upon her. She was able to use back alleys that way. The gate was a little troublesome, and she was truly lucky everyone seemed to have a slight gambling addiction. Merlin then walked until she realized that she was far enough in the woods to use a little magic. With a golden hue to her eyes, she floated just slightly off of the ground and glided across the terrain.

She found the island when the moon was bright above her head. She saw the small boat waiting for her. As soon as she had sat in it, the boat began to move on its own. She watched as the magic of the land rowed her across to the nearest land.

As soon as she stepped onto the Isle of the Blessed, Merlin knew that it was home. The air simply felt refreshing, but the feeling that surrounded her was so full of life. She wondered if even everyday people without the power to do magic could feel it in their bones, just how sacred the place was.

She was met with a familiar face. It was the servant girl who told her that the chalice was poisoned. Merlin felt guilty as she still thought that the magical woman was still very, very beautiful. But it was only now that Merlin could feel the magic rolling off of her. She was powerful, perhaps even the one Gaius knew.

“I’m Nimueh,” greeted the woman, “and I believe we need to talk.”

Merlin let Nimueh guide her through the Isle. They sat on a small stone bench.

Nimueh said, “Merlin, I did not realize who you were at first. I assumed you were either getting revenge for your kind, or thought that the next generation of Pendragons would be easier to sculpt. Instead, I found that you’re who magic has chosen.”

“So you regret that you tried to kill Arthur?”

“I did not try to kill him.” Her eyes looked honest.

“I was the target,” realized Merlin. “Am I still a target?”

“You are no target of mine, Emrys. I had assumed it would be a man. I’m very glad I was wrong.”

“You’re going to make me blush.”

Nimueh simply smiled. “I will not cause you or the Once and Future King any harm. It is Uther Pendragon I wish to kill.”

“I understand that he is a bad person-”

“He is a hypocrite, and I cannot allow him to pretend to be above us even though he has sunken so very low. I have made it my job to kill the King, and I will succeed one day.”

“One day,” echoed Merlin.

Nimueh gave a nod. “One day I will kill Uther Pendragon. Till then, I will be in your shadow. I will restore magical lands as I have for the past decade. I plan to travel to the Perilous Lands next. There’s a castle there fit for a queen, and, perhaps, magical creatures that will one day help me defeat my enemies.”

“Those lands do not sound very grand.”

“They will be soon,” promised Nimueh. In a swirl of wind, she was gone.

Merlin blinked as she processed the information. She murmured the words that Nimueh spoke, only to be surprised when she, too, was swept away. She landed in the middle of the woods. She gasped as she saw a set of claws coming towards her.


End file.
